Wicked Little Pieces
by Wicked Enough
Summary: /SasuSaku/Unrelated Drabble Collection/19: STUCK/ Because life's broken into a million pieces, each one so small and sharp it's hard to avoid the edges...
1. Piece 01 :: Two to Tango

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 01: Two to Tango

_Disclaimer_: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

Little one-shots and drabbles that shouldn't be posted separately, and therefore are shoved here. Basically just pieces of SasuSaku love inspired by daily life, like this one—tango lessons from a friend in the gym when we were supposed to be playing basketball.

Enjoy, and remember that comments are always appreciated!

* * *

_Couples in the streets_.

The beat, a thrumming rhythm that she can feel between her thighs. The music, like a siren's song, weaves around their bodies and pushes them to move with it. The lights, dimming overhead, just enough for her to see the shadows of the man she was hugged so close to...

One hand is around her shoulders and the other is gripping her hip, covered by tight red silk, moving just slightly so that she leans closer in a stubborn attempt to ease into him.

He gives a guttural groan of pleasure, just barely audible, as she brings her body closer to him, hips gyrating just enough to hint at erotic pleasure and still seem innocent. He closes his dark eyes briefly to gather his composure, but when he opens them again she can see just a flash of scarlet Sharingan.

He twirls her out and pulls her back as the music requires, spinning her just a hint harder than necessary to bring her mere millimeters from his chest. He hears her breathing hitch and smirks wickedly.

She gulps but retaliates anyway. In the next four beats he dips her, and when he brings her up again, she pulls herself so their lips are a hairs-width apart.

Without a thought he viciously catches them with his, tongue slipping out to roughly caress her full lower lip, pressing himself upon her hard enough to bruise. Fingers tangle in fine, rose-colored hair and bottle-green eyes unconsciously close. Unspeakably gentle, her slender arms snake around him in an embrace.

The music was forgotten as their kiss deepens, but Sakura now knew why Sasuke had asked her to dance in the first place:

Even an Uchiha Avenger understood that it took two to tango.


	2. Piece 02 :: Gummy Bear Welcome

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 02: Gummy Bear Welcome

_Disclaimer_: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

It doesn't get more crackish than this! I wrote this in the car, driving to LA from my San Francisco home, while eating gummy bears from a huge bag. This idea came to mind from a mutated thought about how decapitated bears stick to ones lips, but I suppose this is cute, too.

Little!SasuSaku and gummy bears. Enjoy!

* * *

_Summer's beginning._

Two small children, sitting in the grass. One, hidden behind bushy cover, peeks out with green eyes, matching the lush leaves of spring. The other, kneeling beneath a tree, enjoys childish pleasures only the very young can..

His onyx eyes are intense with concentration as he very carefully decapitates the orange gummy bear with a filched kunai. With a surgeon's precise skill he repeats the process with a yellow bear. Then, delicately—so delicately!— he switches the two heads and sticks them to the opposite bodies.

"Rawr!" His childish voice deepens in an attempt to roleplay the monsters he has just created fighting. He mashes them together in midair. Then, with his mouth wide open, pearly baby teeth bared, he gobbles a yellow-head-orange-body bear right up.

She giggles from her hiding spot, the tinkling noise making him freeze. Guiltily, she creeps out from behind her hiding place.

The little boy, his messy black hair glinting blue in the light, cocks his head in question. "I've never seen you before." He does not show any other emotion.

She smiles shyly, one foot nervously scuffing the dirt. "I'm new here. My name is Sakura."

He looks her over from head to toe, from her petal hair to her new sandals slowly turning brown in the dust. "I'm Sasuke," he finally says after a pause. He looks down again towards his picnic spread. Thoughtfully, he picks up the orange-head-yellow-body bear and holds it out to her.

"Welcome to Konoha."


	3. Piece 03 :: Beginner's Luck

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 03: Beginner's Luck

_Disclaimer_: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

I always knew Sakura would have some use for her tactical brain, and I figured that she could only be second to Shikamaru in games such as poker, so this little piece came out.

Featuring Defeated!Naruto and Soon-to-be-Shirtless!Sasuke! Yum, Team 7 Love!

* * *

_Here comes trouble._

They never should have taught her how to play.

Look at her, trying—unsuccessfully—to hide a smirk as she reaches into the center of the circle and pulls all the loose bills and coins towards her. Her cheeks are flushed with blind elation, matching the color of her hair, and her emerald eyes are sparkling so brightly.

On the left of him Naruto is groaning, begging his 'Sakura-chan' to go easy on them.

The fool. It was his idea to teach her to play poker in the first place!

When they had heard that she hadn't known how to play, Naruto jumped to teach her, showing her each hand in careful detail. He should have realized it was a bad idea from that first calculating look.

"Another hand?" she asks sweetly.

Naruto groans. "I'm all out of money! All I've got now are the clothes on my back and—" He stops, lewd grin forming on his face as he winks at Sasuke. "How about one round of strip poker? Losers have to keep their shirts off for the rest of the day!"

She lets out an unladylike snort. "You wish! You go ahead and put your shirt in, but all I'm gonna go is add all the money I've won today." She looks towards him and smiles, abet a bit nervously. "How's about it, Sasuke-kun?"

He should have said no, but at Naruto's sly look, he just couldn't. Besides, what's the chance of him losing for the seventh time in a row?

She's smiling so hard it looks like she's about to break her teeth when she sees him nod. "I'll deal."

He looks at the cards she's dealt him and fights the impulse to sigh in relief. Finally. Something he can work with.

Sakura looks at both of them, then reveals her hand. His breathing almost stops when he sees what she's held.

A royal flush. Not even his straight could beat _that_. He had lost. _Again_. And this time, the consequences wasn't five bucks.

This time, it was his dignity.

With disgust Naruto throws his cards down and begins pulling off his jacket, leaving the undershirt on. "I–Just–Don't–_Understand_! How do you keep winning?"

Her face is bright red as watches him start taking off his shirt, leaving only bare skin. Weakly, she voices what he supposes could only be true.

"Beginner's luck, I suppose."


	4. Piece 04 :: Paradise Lost

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 04: Paradise Lost

_Disclaimer_: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

Funny thing I've noticed–most of these titles come from the LJ community, IconFiend 100's themes list, of which there are now four. So therefore I suppose I should credit them in some of my inspiration.

In this little piece, I return to one of my three true loves (Humor, Romance, and Angst). Of course there's going to be an unhappy story somewhere in this collection (probably more than one). Well, enjoy!

* * *

_Burn_.

The blinding ash blew through the air as a single entity, massive and dark, smothering those who were already crying, already panicking, already screaming that they didn't want to die, not yet, not this way.

His eyes follow their progress and see the selfishness of human character, the women pulling their children along and ignoring those who are not of her brood, though they were the same size, the same innocent. He sees the old men, weak and crippled beyond recognition from themselves as young fighters, being trampled by the feet of the ones with fear. He witnesses, understands, and hates.

Suddenly—a voice, calling and begging, furiously prodding.

"Daisuke! Keep up! Mayumi, don't let go of my hand! Eiichi, Akina, Kohana, Orino..." She pushes, grabbing their chubby arms and running as quickly as possible while keeping them together.

The dark red curtain of fire and dust had matted her hair, but underneath the grime he could still see hints of pink. Her pale skin seemed to be illuminated by the chaos as she bent down to pick up a fallen child, moving her feet desperately to the gates of the Konoha.

There she was, a spring blossom doing her best the save those would could not save themselves.

He didn't know what to think. He felt nothing for her now, no comradeship, no guilt, not really anything. What he did know was that he was burning the stage of his childhood, where had witnessed the first nightmares and first dreams, where he had pretended to get stronger while really dying slowly.

"Hurry, _please_!" her voice is desperate, her strength and will stretched to a breaking point. Her eyes, glowing in its intensity, roam the streets, the rooftops, searching for an escape route.

They find him, instead.

Her lips part in surprise, her eyes widening. She momentarily forgets the destruction, the deaths, the orphans she knew would die without her.

He smirks, mouth jerking upwards in cruel irony. She seems to snap out of her surprise, dropping her gaze. He doesn't have to see her eyes to know they're filling with tears. Her hands tighten on the wrists of the children, and she runs on.

It's the end of them, the end of the green paradise that once cradled them in its embrace, hiding the world and its evils.

It's the end of Konoha, the village of leaves.


	5. Piece 05 :: That's the Spirit!

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 05: That's the Spirit

_Disclaimer_: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

This is sorta kinda inspired by the original setting of 07: A BETter Woman (which will be posted up soon!), but when I saw how perfect it was alone, I quickly changedsome thingsto bring you allthis. It you are easily offended by dirty humor, please step out of the room and come back after Sasuke and Sakura have had dirty sex.

Thank you, and enjoy! (PS: All the cocktails mentioned are real drinks!)

* * *

_Should have stuck to the mocktails._

Every time Naruto chuckled, Sakura grew just a little bit queasier inside, and it wasn't just from the odd assortment of drinks inside her.

He moved his hand and jostled her shoulder in a friendly manner she had only gotten used to over the years. "Nee, nee, Sakura-chan, take a look at this one." He shoved the laminated menu into her hands, pointing to yet another 'oddly' named drink.

"This one, this one!" His childlike eagerness certainly hadn't changed much.

Sakura allowed her eyes to wander to menu until they found what Naruto was so happily crowing over.

"Slow Comfortable Screw Against the Wall," she read out loud. She looked up to her boisterous teammate, the one who had dragged her out on her night off to go 'have some fun' with him. "Jeez, Naruto. Why do you have to find these and point them out to me?"

He snickered. "Because it's entertaining. And it's almost as fun as seeing you toss back the drinks those guys over there keep ordering for you." He tilted his chin towards the tables of single men, some staring at her with the most lustful of gazes.

Her semi-drunken glare would withering at its best. "Waste not, want not," she quickly retorted. "Besides, it's not my fault they want to waste their money."

"Man, if I haven't drunk as much as you, I'd probably say 'bullshit' and send you home, but I have, so everything is a-okay. Who knew going to the bar with a friend would be so much fun?"

"Oh puh-lease!"

She was cut short from saying anything more, however, when a tall figure suddenly appeared next to them.

"Sasuke-Bastard! You made it!" Naruto quickly rose from his bar stool to smack Sasuke heartedly on the back, only to lose his balance and fall against him.

The sneer on the Uchiha's face was enough to speak a million words. He pushed Naruto back onto the chair, turning to face her. When he saw the empty shot and lowball glasses stacked in front of her, he furrowed his brows and stated the obvious. "You've been drinking."

Maybe it was that she was too intoxicated to know the difference between teasing and dying. Maybe it was just that she felt that he needed to relax. Or maybe it was because, in his dark t-shirt and black jeans, he looked good enough to push against the wall and ravish.

In any case, she smirked as she replied. "Only a few Between the Sheets, and one rather satisfying Screaming Orgasm."

His jaw fell open. "What?"

As Naruto began laughing hysterically, she quickly patted the seat next to her. "Sit down, and I'll explain everything." She quickly glanced down to the drinks' menu, still open in front of her, as he warily sat down. Keen to be naughty, she easily found the perfect drink for the perfect situation.

"How's about I start you off with a Blowjob, Sasuke-kun?"


	6. Piece 06 :: Love Letter

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 06: Love Letter

_Disclaimer_: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

Um, angst much? I think so. The following little piece is sorta sick and morbid. Blame life and my twisted mind, and the fact that if I don't angst here, I'd probably angst in real life, and that's just sick and wrong. (Really, I don't remember myself ever being all... emo and all. Scary.)

Enjoy!

* * *

_Sincerely yours._

The stench filled her nostrils before she even entered the house. It was bitterly familiar and thick, and no matter how many bloody wounds she caused or treated, she would never get used to it.

She knew they were dead before she even touched them, that there wasn't even a bit of life in them. She knew that even if they had, she still wouldn't be able to heal them. No, it would be an impossibility, even for her.

Instead, she kept her emotions in check as she ran into the family room.

She had prepared herself for the worst, but how can one–even a jaded kunoichi–keep silent when they see the bodies of the ones that had brought her into the world? Her hand flew to her mouth and she bit down hard on the soft skin to prevent herself from screaming out loud.

A strangled sob formed and died in her throat, stillborn,as her heart seemed to burst from sadness and fear and anger. What would she do without them? Who would do this to them? What had they done wrong to deserve a fate like this?

Her hand shook as she moved to wipe the blood away from her beautiful, gentle, kind, dead mother's face, but before she could even graze the cold cheek, something dark and morbidly clear struck her.

She looked up and focused more closely at the once pristine wall in front of her, now marred with scrolling words. The characters, slowly turning the rusty red of old blood, froze her in her tracks.

"_Foolish little Sakura. If you wish to kill me, hate me, despise me, and survive in an unsightly way. Run, run, and cling to life._"

She sits down hard on the ground, her fists clenched, nails forming crescent indentations in the flesh. There was only one person whose written voice could hold so much malice and hate. There was only one person who could haunt her every nightmare and cripple her every dream.

There could be only one person in the world who would write her a love letter in blood, asking for death from an avenger, and that person could only be Uchiha Sasuke.

_A second avenger is born._


	7. Piece 07 :: Rainy Day

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 07: Rainy Day

_Disclaimer_: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

Today is a good day for creativity, because it seems that I have gotten a lot done. Not only have at least a dozen pretty avis been made, three little **Pieces** have also been written. Goody, goody, goody!

The following piece is pretty feel good, but I think it's necessary. After all, we have been missing out on SasuSaku smut for a while!

* * *

_Rain, rain, go away._

Her quiet moans, muffled against soft cotton sheets, filled his ears like some sort of music from the heavens. Her skin, stretched taut and smooth and pale over tight, young muscles, rubbed against his own like silk. Her eyes, opening so wide, so green, mirroring back at him a reflection of himself.

Everything about her drove him wild, from her voice to her strength, to her ability to stir him with one passionate look.

He had thought she needed protecting–how would he have known she would have rescued him? And how would he have known that after all that time, after all that betrayal and hate and blood and everything in the world that could possibly–would possibly–drive them apart, she would still stand there waiting at the gates, loving him?

His lips found hers, swollen already from his previous kisses but still eagerly devouring his touches, and he felt himself become just a little more alive.

'_I adore you_.'

It was unspoken, unheard, but she felt it, nonetheless, and drew him close to her as he collapsed against her tangled body, spent and exhausted with love. Their eyes flutter, find each other, then close again in sleep.

Outside, the sky was overcast and dark. But inside, because she was there, he saw sunshine.


	8. Piece 08 :: A BETter Woman

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 08: A BETter Woman

_Disclaimer_: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

Ehh... Haven't updated in forever, have I? Blame my junior year at high school, then. It's crazy and intense and I have little time for doing anything but study and sleep D:

This following little piece includes lots and lots of cheesiness, and maybe makes you briefly reminiscence about **Screwing Destiny**. In any case, it includes LoserLikeTsunade!Sakura and HitUpon!Sasuke. Enjoy!

* * *

_You gotta be kidding me._

She knew she was out of her mind. Knew it, admitted to it, but still couldn't stop herself from doing it.

Sure, it was partly because of the pent up anger and lust, but that didn't mean the act was justified. She was sure that no one truly deserved to be publicly humiliated this way, no matter how big of dicks they were.

She whipped her head back to glare at Ino, hiding behind the corner. The blonde girl was giggling so hard it looked like she was about to burst. Sakura sent her hate out to her best friend through her eyes, trying her hardest to send the flames of hell towards the girl.

Ino noticed, and did nothing to call her back. Instead, she shooed her towards the dark-haired man sitting at the counter of Ichiraku. 'Go on!' she mouthed, smirking widely.

The pink haired kunoichi looked skyward for help as she inched ever closer to the ramen stand. '_That's the last time I ever bet against Ino._'

She cleared her throat nervously when she stopped behind Sasuke. He looked up to her, his face impassively handsome. In his ANBU uniform, Sakura was glad she wasn't the crazed fangirl she used to be; if she were, she would be squealing right at that moment.

"What?" His voice was neither rude nor polite, though they had grown closer in the past few years.

Sakura quietly whispered, "I'm sorry," before taking a deep breath. Licking her finger, she quickly touched his shoulder with it, then did the same to herself. He continued looking at her, though now with a raised eyebrow, his eyes lingering on the semi-moist spot on his shirt.

Before he could ask for the reason behind her actions or apology, Sakura began talking. And loudly, so the entire restaurant could hear her, Sakura fulfilled her end of the bet by 'hitting on' the infamous Uchiha Sasuke.

"Come on, Sasuke-kun! Let's get you and me out of these wet clothes!"


	9. Piece 09 :: Beautiful Discomfort

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 09: Beautiful Discomfort

_Disclaimer_: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

Ehh... No updates in so long! Blame my intense junior year of high school. So much crazyness, so little time to do anything with it.

Hope I haven't grown _too_ rusty!

* * *

_Like a fragile flower._

He caught her before she could fall, her form, though toned and sleek from her demanding workouts, was lighter than he expected.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice rang out in the snowy stillness, the battle only moments over.

His dark eyes trained themselves onto her face as she slid lower into his arms. Her skin, always so delicate, marred with bruises and cuts that were only sluggishly bleeding. And although her usually bright eyes were closed, her even breathing calmed any fears.

"Is she alright?" His teammate's worried face peered at his.

He had to clear his voice to make it work. His words formed icy clouds in the air like ghosts. "She's fine, just exhausted. Set up camp."

Naruto opened his mouth to argue, but closed it when he met his gaze. "Fine. But you'd better take care of her, Sasuke." Without further ado, the blonde began walking off in search of firewood.

He half carried, half dragged her to trunk of a tree. Settling down on the ground so that her body party covered his, he awkwardly pulled part of his cloak over her, enveloping her in his arms.

It was not a comfortable position for him, but he didn't care.

She had taken care of him when he had returned from Sound, battered and wounded, and now it was his turn.

Beautiful girl. Beautiful discomfort.


	10. Piece 10 :: Bloom

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 10: Bloom

_Disclaimer_: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

Life is extremely hectic so I can't update any of the big projects, so here's another Piece for you guys to suck in. Sorry for the wait...

(Just a note though, on Sasuke only using the Chidori four times. I reason I put it down as such a small amount compared to other writers is this: Kakashi could only use it four times, and I don't believe Sasuke is more prodigious than Kakashi, especially since _Kakashi _was the one who graduated when he was 5, became Chuunin when he was 6, and Jounin when he was 13.)

* * *

_Facing the sky._

Immortality was impossible, and after years and years, Orochimaru could finally realize it. The man's eyes were wild, panic straining against the bare expression of hate.

He hurt all over, especially where the Curse Seal burned deep into his skin, activated by touch of the original giver. The gashes on his arm ran thick and deep, and he guessed two or three ribs broken, a few more fractured.

If he could only bring himself to one more attack, it would all be over. But, unfortunately but, he had no more chakra left. Kakashi had once warned him on overtaxing his body by using the Chidori more than twice–he didn't dare do it more than the four times he already had.

Instead, he stared hatefully at the snake man, the Legendary Sannin that he once had a role in his ambition.

Orochimaru appeared before him, his movements still agile, though considerably slower than before. He caught a glance of the kunai in his mentor's mouth before it created another cut on his chest.

The pain made him stumble back–he crumbled to his knees as his hands pressed against the wound to stop the bleeding. He was just so damn tired, in so much pain.

Then, just before he thought his life was over, he saw a flash of pink.

It was a moment of deja vu as his gaze sharped and unsharpened, loss of blood making him weak. Then Sharingan focused on a young woman–no longer a girl–with short hair, her eyes determined and her gaze as hard as the kunai in her hand, just like when she was twelve and unworthy of his attentions.

He didn't hear the words that came out of her mouth, didn't care to try to comprehend them. All he could see was _her_, because now she had changed, had grown, had become... a goddess.

_Sakura in full bloom._


	11. Piece 11 :: Tonight!

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 11: Tonight!

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

Inspired hugely by the Bonnie Pink song, 'Tonight, the Night'. I would force you guys to listen to it, but there's a good chance you won't find it as she's not that popular. Personally, Bonnie Pink is one of my favorite J-Pop singers–try her if you have time!

Sasuke-kun would be a good dancer, ohohoho.

* * *

_Tonight, the night!_

The disco ball reflected little pieces of light up and down her bare arms and back, highlighting them to his gaze so he couldn't help but stare at them as one would with a ball of fire.

The heavy bass of the music made it impossible to hear what Ino said as the blonde Jounin pulled his teammate close to her, eyes glinting mischievously. However, it must have amused her, because the girl's pink head tilted backwards as she laughed.

Jamming his hands into his pockets, he couldn't help but glare towards the dance floor, the young bodies rocking to the beat. From the corners of his eyes he could see other newly graduated Jounin getting completely wasted, their responsibilities and obligations forgotten as Friday night rolled around.

Him, he had been dragged to the club by an annoyingly loud Naruto, whom, he might add, had abandoned him the instant he spotted a rather embarrassed-looking Hyuuga Hinata. Thus, he was stuck sitting at the bar, baring his teeth every time a young woman walked towards him or tried to strike up conversation. No, he was more content sulking in his dark corner, eyes following the young woman who was so entrancing him with her dancing body.

As if she could hear his thoughts, her bright green eyes suddenly met his. Her glossy lips parted in surprise as she studied him, still in his jounin uniform. Smiling at him, she looked over to Ino, spoke a few words, and started squeezing towards him.

He, for some reason, didn't start walking out. Something in him told him to stay, at least for her. He remained sitting at the bar, the empty lowball glasses littering the space in front of him.

When she reached him, she was breathless, tendrils of hair scattered around her temples. The thin straps of her spaghetti top clung to her slim shoulders, the mini skirt showing just enough silky thigh to tease. Her smile was so pretty and soft, he couldn't quite think of anything else but her.

So, maybe that was why when she asked if he wanted to dance, he took her hand and did.


	12. Piece 12 :: Spider Webs

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 12: Spider Webs

_Disclaimer_: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

Angst coming through. Character death. Murder. Sadism. Morbid.

Argh. Darned angst.

* * *

_Glistening streaks like raw silk in air._

He hadn't thought that it would turn out to be so perfect.

No, he had always seen it as blood on her smooth skin, paler and whiter still in death. A beautiful broken girl lying on the ground with the dark crimson of essence wrapped around her, her petal hair slowly tainted by scarlet. That was what he had dreamed of.

Instead, he had seen her skin, milky like he had always predicted, become glowing, ethereal-like, with the blue of her veins becoming more prominent and dark on her arms, neck, and face.

The snakebite wound was so small he couldn't see the puncture marks without searching for it. The venom that had been on its fangs were strong and deadly, killing her softly. It made her body seem unnaturally calm and peaceful.

She lay on the forest floor, the wild grasses her mattress and the falling petals of the cherry tree her down comforter. Her eyes were closed, her face smoothed of any pain...

He could nearly _feel_ her dying, the slow and steady crawl of death making itself evident in the tracings of poison creeping through her bloodstream.

He was struck with fascination, eyes never leaving her face as he watched the tiny veins under her eyelids become dark and full... Then, the tendrils twisted under the skin of her cheeks...

That was when he left, the woman that had once loved him, the one he once thought he could love, dying under the night moon, spider webs of poison as her shroud, the whisper of late summer nights caressing the air.

He had cut the last ties.


	13. Piece 13 :: Once Sworn

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 13: Once Sworn

_Disclaimer_: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

Cliche, cliche, cliche. Please, shoot me now.

Enjoy?

* * *

_Yelling and yelling and still I can't hear you._

She angrily brushed the tears back from her eyes, hating them more at the moment than she hated him. They were weakness, and so easy to show.

"You don't." The words burst from her lips like the shuriken in her holster, hurting him as much.

He stood, his hands hanging uselessly from his arms. For once, his eyes seemed to speak the truth. It didn't mean he didn't try to reason with her, but the moment he opened his mouth to try, she interrupted him.

"You love _retribution_ more than you'll love anything else, including me. Be an _avenger_ because that's the path that was made for you. _Selfish_, that's what you are."

They hurt not because she, who he had once believed would always support him, now hated him. They hurt because she, whom he had once sworn to himself never to care for, was now the one thing in the world he wanted to keep and couldn't.

"Don't. _Don't!_ Just leave!" She pointed to the door with her finger, eyes now on the ground so she couldn't see him, not now and not ever again.

He was about to turn and leave, hating himself, when he suddenly realized the most important thing of all.

_Her_.

His footsteps were silent, his heart pounding so hard he thought it would jump out. Gingerly, his arms wound around her thin, once delicate form.

She stiffened like a corpse, but her hands didn't move to push him away. "_Why?_" her voice was muffled against his chest.

He didn't know why such a feeling of relief came over him to know she didn't wholeheartedly hate him, so much that he was able to tell her the truth without his throat closing up.

'_Because I love you._'

"Because I don't want to walk away from you again."


	14. Piece 14 :: What Heaven's Like

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 14: What Heaven's Like

_Disclaimer_: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

I'm so tired and hungry and exhausted and more than anything I wish school was over.

Kinda reflects, I suppose.

* * *

_I don't want to open my eyes._

Let it be over.

The entire world is zooming in and out of his face and he is just tired. He doesn't care anymore. Vengeance, retribution, what is it when you've already failed?

No, he wants it all gone. Bleed to black. Fade to oblivion. Do it. Forget it all.

His brother is dead. The last words that came out of his mouth explained it now.

'_You've destroyed yourself._'

And it was true. What did it matter? He was dead, destroyed from the moment he decided to throw away his life for the past. And what did it matter, really? No one can change it–only the future. But he was stupid and young and irrational and now look at him.

He's on the ground, eyes closed, his life just flowing out of him onto the hard dirt, like the coffin's already engulfing him.

He starts to count before he's enveloped.

One. _Stupid stupid stupid._

Two. _It doesn't matter now, ever, forever, stop._

Three. _The silence, wish for silence._

Four. _End it now, please, fast, yes._

Five. _Finality._

But now the warmth starts deep within his chest and now he knows what heaven feels like, smells like. Soft. Warm. Spring. And... Solid.

And... And... He knows he's made a mistake again. So even though he doesn't want to, he opens his eyes to make sure he's really there.

Heaven is green like her irises and pink like her hair and lustrously pale like the skin of her arms and then he realizes...

_Open your eyes and you will see._


	15. Piece 15 :: The Irony of Lilies

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 15: The Irony of Lilies

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

It's been a while, I know, I know. Forgive, and enjoy!

* * *

_Every girls' dream is to receive flowers for her birthday._

When she first found that Yamanaka Ino's family owned a flower shop, she was secretly envious of the blonde.

Because she was a girl, and a fairly feminine one at that, and because she herself was named after one, Sakura loved the spring blossoms, from the butterfly-like morning glories to the golden chrysanthemums, whose curved petals stretched out like dancer's arms in the morning sun.

But, it was when she found the white lily lying on the wooden sill of her kitchen window that she felt she loved flowers the most.

The thick, almost fleshy petals–perfectly formed and white as frost–were cool to touch, and fell graciously to her hand as she picked up the stem.

Her lips unconsciously twitched upwards as she remembered that lilies were part of a traditional wedding bouquet–she had personally helped Ino arrange dozens in the past. Roses, for love everlasting. Baby's Breath, for sweetness. And, lilies, for happiness.

But, this lily was white, and white represented the absence of colors. The absence of happiness, then.

She walked slowly into the kitchen, searching for a vase, and had climbed upon the counter to reach the top cupboards when she suddenly realized that she had seen just that kind of lilies in front of the Uchiha Compound.

She smiled, widely this time. Filling a small crystal vase with water and dropping the lily into it, she set the single symbol of Sasuke remembering her birthday onto the table.

A warm glow about now about her, Sakura walked out of the house and towards the bridge where Team 7 met for training, leaving the absence of happiness behind.


	16. Piece 16 :: The Perfect Fruit

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 16: The Perfect Fruit

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

I was eating strawberries–big, rip, freshly picked, boughten from the local farmer's market strawberries–when I was inspired to write this. I suppose it's just the thing to make every SasuSaku!Fluff-fan go 'Awww'.

Enjoy!

* * *

_Everything was going to plan..._

He watched her perfect pink lips become stained a slow, teasing red with each strawberry. Her pouty little mouth wrapped around the early summer fruit, unconscious of just how erotic each bite was.

He wanted to cover those lips with his and taste her and wondered whether he would be able to distinguish between the berry and the woman—he doubted it because he knew from watching her devour each bite that her lips were already stained with the sweet juices.

She cocked her head cutely to the side as she noticed him watching her. "What?" she asked innocently, another berry in hand. She lounged , shifting her body just slightly on the red checkered blanket, green eyes watching him as he reached into his jacket pocket and take out a velvet box.

He popped the lid and watched her expression turn into one of complete wonder as the tiny, iridescent reflections of the diamond dazzled her face.

The strawberry dropped, rolled onto the grass as he got on his knees and reached for her hand. He brought the delicate-boned fingers to his lips, kissing them gently–they smelled like strawberries–and looked her straight in the eye.

"Will you marry me?"

Years later, he would never speak of his proposal without picturing what happened next in his mind: she jumped on him in absolute happiness and joy, kissed him so hard that he couldn't think, and allowed him to taste the most perfect fruit of the summer.

_Sweeter than strawberries..._


	17. Piece 17 :: Dangerous Angels

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 17: Dangerous Angels

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

I took the title from a beautifully poetic series of books written by my favorite author, Francesca Lia Block. The series, also known as the **Weetzie Bat** series, was published together in a single volume titled **Dangerous Angels**.

Enjoy.

* * *

_A dangerous angel..._

When you're young, and you don't quite understand embarrassment or vulnerability, either because you're too foolish not to think you're invincible or because you simply don't understand it, you don't quite worry about confessions of love or, expressions of adoration, because they are seemingly meaningless.

And then you're older, hopefully wiser, or at least more conscious of the feelings of others around you. Still, though you're unable to comprehend to heavy weight of caring for someone, so much that you think that you could die.

When she was twelve, she fell in love with a boy who would never love her back.

The confession is what hurt her the most. That it came from her lips, and that she received nothing in return. With her words she had torn an open, gaping wound on her heart that would never heal, because one never forgets one's first love.

At that moment, she didn't know that from an elder's view, that her love was as thin as a single thread holding up a spider's gossamer web. The experience had been beautiful, yes, but it was so fragile, so empty, that a single breath of wind could snap the connection.

She believed that faithfulness was the key to proving herself to him, so she waited. She trained, she grew stronger, she become herself, at ease.

She was fifteen when she saw him again.

She didn't speak of their past experiences together, how he had pushed her away when she tried to stop him from leaving, how she had slept with tears drying on her cheeks every night. She looked up him, eyes wide, and tried to start anew.

And he, too, was older. His symbol of reaching maturity was bullet-proof belief that he had to avenge his clan. She didn't not understand that he was already broken.

It was that day, also, that she felt it necessary to bring him back home, not seeing his hardened eyes on a still childish face. She rushed forward.

Her resolution wavered—she still didn't want to hurt him—and he felt it.

He tried to kill her.

Love is a dangerous angel, they had told her. She didn't want to believe them, still clawing the childhood belief that once upon a time, the prince would come, rescue her, and...

She was seventeen when she saw him again. She tried to believe that she no longer cared for him, tried hard to forget how as a child, she had cried over him in loss.

His eyes, cursed from birth, burned into hers and showed no recognition.

She tried to bring him back, kunai in hand as she rushed forward. She saw his face, grown up now, and calm, and the feelings she had for him rushed back.

She wavered as she ran forward, and he killed her.

_Love is a dangerous angel._


	18. Piece 18 :: One More Crimson Failure

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 18: One More Crimson Failure

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

Inspired by the songs of the Rurouni Kenshin OAV soundtrack, especially Seisouhen No. 7: Labyrinth–I think RK has one of the best musical scores... Everything is so haunting and sweet–and by a particular line in **Goldberry**'s Thursday.

Anyway, before I get rambling and stupid, the piece.

* * *

_One more crimson failure..._

He hurt. Everywhere.

"At least four cracked ribs, one punctured lung, one fractured wrist, four broken fingers, multiple lacerations on the torso and arms..." They read his injuries off simply, like listing the entrees on a menu, without pity or disgust or anything at all. They loaded him gently to the stretcher.

He turned his head, closing his eyes so all he could see was the swirling darkness of his mind.

He failed.

Too weak, too human. He couldn't do it. Simple as that.

He had his brother on the ground, bleeding, broken, dying, and still... He couldn't do it.

He let Naruto interrupt the battle, let Naruto push him to the side so that the desperate, last bit of chakra couldn't mold into Chidori.

He had enough strength to do it, to resist.

But he hadn't.

Instead he let himself fall, let the broken, crackling animal sob slip from between his lips, let Naruto half drag, half carry him to a makeshift camp where medics were waiting.

A cool touch against his cheek broke him out of his nightmare and he opened his eyes, black and dull like unpolished obsidian. Listlessly, he followed the graceful lift of arm, until he saw her.

She did not hate him. He could see it in her emerald eyes, could see the way the tears–those tears!–form and glisten and not drop. She...

He wanted to push her away. He wanted to push and push until she was too hurt to do anything but avoid him, never again showing him those smiles and tears again.

He hated that he couldn't make her hate him.

And, he hated that he didn't hate her either, and could only let her place her hands on his chest and begin pumping her chakra through him, healing, piecing together bone and flesh and skin, loving him again.


	19. Piece 19 :: Stuck

**Wicked Little Pieces**

Piece 19: Stuck

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

Inspired by music: 'Stuck' by Stacie Orrico, which, incidently, is stuck in my head. Yes, terrible pun.

Enjoy!

* * *

_I feel like such a fool!_

It was like a scene out of a movie, out of a girl movie that only Ino would watch with her. A movie when there were two people, two lost, stupid people who would somehow overcome all adversary and just... _love_.

Her eyes bore into his.

He looked dispassionately down into hers.

Three years, and he was still exactly the same. No, there were changes. He was taller, his chest and shoulders wider, but that cold perfection of his sculpted face... That was still the same.

She could feel Naruto's quivering body next to hers, tense and trying to comprehend the situation as smoothly as possible, knowing, understanding, that whatever he was going through was probably ten times worse in her. They had been best friends, but he had been her...

She had thought, had naturally assumed, that she hated him for abandoning Konoha. No, that wasn't true. He had also been her friend. Nothing more, perhaps, but friends, at the very least, she thought fiercely to herself. _Friends _deserved second chances, no matter how stupid they were in their life choices.

And... He had called her by name. And that mere mention, that mere _fucking_ mention, and she was Haruno Sakura, the twelve year old girl unconscious on a stone bench.

Her fingers clenched into a fist, the nails biting uncomfortably into soft flesh. Through everything, she still missed him, still wanted him back. And there was no way she could fake her emotions anymore.

_I'm still stuck on you._


End file.
